On a January day in 1942, a young Black man penned a letter to the editor at the Pittsburgh Courier asking a poignant question, “Should I sacrifice to live half-American?” The letter highlighted the discrepancy between Black American soldiers fighting for democracy abroad while being denied equality at home. The letter inspired a new movement that came to be known as the Double V Campaign – victory for democracy at home as well as abroad.
James G. Thompson was the 26-year-old author of the letter. Born in Kansas, he was the son of middle-class parents. His father was an inventor and dabbled in various business ventures, while his mother was a schoolteacher with a university degree. Growing up, Thompson excelled in athletics and academics, taking business and journalism classes in high school. While attending college, he honed his writing skills. Those who knew him described him as “very thoughtful and very well thought of.”
Thompson’s ability to express himself through the written word caught the nation’s attention with his powerful letter. Thompson questioned, “Would it be demanding too much to demand full citizenship rights in exchange for the sacrificing of my life?” Thompson then offered a challenge:
“The V for victory sign is being displayed prominently in all so-called democratic countries which are fighting for victory over aggression, slavery, and tyranny. If this V sign means that to those now engaged in this great conflict, then let we colored Americans adopt the double VV for a double victory… the second V for victory over our enemies from within. For surely those who perpetrate these ugly prejudices here are seeking to destroy our democratic form of government just as surely as the Axis forces.”
With the backing of the Pittsburgh Courier, the Double V Campaign spread quickly as Black communities across the nation adopted the movement. Some organized “Double V clubs,” donned Double V pins, or participated in organized demonstrations. The movement inspired a popular song and a poem. By 1943, the organized portion of the campaign petered out. The Double V Campaign ended without effecting any specific changes, but it raised the visibility of issues important to Black Americans across the country.
As for Thompson, records show he was one among more than 2.5 million Black men who registered for the draft. Combined with the contributions of Black women who enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps, more than one million Black Americans served in the Army during WWII. Thompson enlisted in February 1943 and served until his honorable discharge in 1946.
If you would like to learn more about the Double V Campaign, search our archives, including our assortment of Black History newspapers on Newspapers.com™ today. Also, see additional clippings related to the Double V Campaign on our Newspapers.com Topic Page.
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The campaign petered out as you say but not the awareness it created among white soldiers as well as black. I have read of an incident at North Platte, Nebraska where a troop train with both white and black soldiers (in different cars since the armed forces didn’t end segregation until 1947) stopped at the crew change there, where the men were to be fed at a station restaurant, and the station restaurant refused to serve the black soldiers, at which point a substantial portion of the white units refused to eat there as well. Remember, it isn’t very far in time between the end of the war in 1945 and Truman’s 1947 desegregation order for the armed forces, and Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, and Eisenhower’s order in 1957 using the military to protect black students desegregating the high school in Little Rock–this was never going to be an instant process and the speed with which is proceeded postwar probably owes a lot to what black and white soldiers experienced during the war including the interactions between them,
How one letter challenged the thinking of the day to give thought provoking truths to spread across the nation shows & gives hope that it doesn’t have to be something big to affect change.
One more jolt to thoughtful people of that time, to implement democratic values to ALL citizens. Now 80 years later, thoughtful words are not enough. Such words now would fade even more quickly, drowned by those believing only in zero-sum thinking. Why isn’t this in our history books!!
Thanks for the store,it should have been in our History Books for all to read and see.
Because it might make the poor little white kids feel bad
Hello,
May I suggested a picture of Corporal James G. Thompson of Double V Campaign? This gentleman fought of his county and believed in equality for all. He deserved to have his picture added to this posting as his hope and dream for equality
Absolutely! I agree.
Rollande, we totally agree! I linked the only photograph I could find for Corp. Thompson. It is not the best quality, but it is better than nothing. Here is the link again. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94591765/spotlight-on-james-g-thompson-whose/
Very thought provoking! It was enlightening especially the white soldiers who backed their fellow black soldiers at the train station back home.
On a January day in 1942, a young Black man penned a letter to the editor at the Pittsburgh Courier asking a poignant question, “Should I sacrifice to live half-American?”
James G. Thompson was the 26-year-old author of the letter. Born in Kansas, he was the son of middle-class parents. His father was an inventor and dabbled in various business ventures, while his mother was a schoolteacher with a university degree. Growing up, Thompson excelled in athletics and academics, taking business and journalism classes in high school. While attending college, he honed his writing skills. Those who knew him described him as “very thoughtful and very well thought of.”
What are at American!
What a great American!
Interesting story. I wonder why no one places this story in the government’s school history books. I graduated from a predominantly white high school in New England, and our class selected one of the few black students as our most popular student. He was a great kid. Of course, school is one thing, but life is another, and I have no idea where this kid went after high school. Was he successful and happy in a largely white world? I have no idea. I was too busy trying to live my own life.
Maybe the basic lesson we humans should follow is, when we judge another human, judge them by their actions toward others, not by their skin color. There are good and bad white humans also – we know that. In fact, it appears that we live in interesting times largely because of the actions of the men in our society. Is it time to let women run things? But, wait… why do mature, responsible adults need anyone to run things for them? Aren’t we all pretty self sufficient by the time we hit our forties?
Questions, questions, and more questions. Yes, we should never stop asking questions.
Speaking as a retired history teacher , the curriculum is determined by the administration.
There are many worthy people that deserve study , but we only have limited time . This is just a reality that necessitates making tough choices .
I understand the limitations but the awareness this young man brought to the differences between black and white soldiers is well worthy of inclusion in all history books. What could be more important, especially in this day and time when the country seems to want to revert to the inequities of those days. I am white woman, 67 years old and I will never understand what is in the minds of white supremacists. They are not superior… they are less. They are the bad white men. They need to read about the good black men and women and there are many. They need to learn that there was a reason for the Civil War. They need to hear about the day-to-day living of a black man serving his country, fighting for a freedom that he wasn’t receiving. This man’s letter was not only amazing it was very touching. It has a human element that is missing from history books.
It’s sad that most of us older adults who grew up with blacks and whites enjoying
a truly equal relationship, working, playing, going to school together, serving in the military together have now been railroaded by Antifa and BLM to set the good relationship we all enjoyed back to 1950.
It’s sad that our citizens have been taken advantage of.
Donnie, I suspect the racial divide is being aggravated by proponents and supporters of the Kalergi Plan.
Speaking as an older, older adult, I started to school in 1941 in Louisiana. That, of course means I grew up in a segregated society. The little signs above the back door of restaurants that read “colored” were taken for granted by me (and I suppose everyone else) and I never gave them a second thought back then. Even after moving to Houston in 1948, I had no interaction with Blacks until well into the 60s. Having experienced both eras, I can tell you from experience that we have a much richer culture when all races work together in harmony. From my viewpoint race relations were good and getting better until Antifa and BLM came along, whose purpose was to destroy what we had built up and were working to make better. I sincerely hope I can live to see those relationships restored and moving forward again. We need to get rid of the phrases, “my people” and “your people” and realize and live as “all of God’s people”.
Great post. It is my own observation that the racial divide is being fed intentionally by those who want to break up and destroy America. They are the takers in life, not the great builders, and they seem to pride themselves by being identified as ‘the great destroyers.’ Perhaps, since life seems to be cyclical, we will see the end of their rule over us. Let’s hope so.
And may you enjoy many more years of happy life, you older individual, you.
It’s great that you grew up in such a community. Unfortunately, what existed in your community was not, and is not, by any means, universal in the US. Currently, the national unemployment average is 5.3%, for African Americans it’s 8.6%. Of high school students, 57% of blacks receive the necessary math and science courses necessary for entry into college, vs. 71% for blacks. African Americans account for 56% of the incarcerated population in this country. I could go on. The point is, there’s still more work to do to achieve equality among all people in the US. Ultimately, it has little to do with Antifa, BLM or any reactionary white supremacy group in this country. Overcoming a history of slavery and discrimination takes time and effort. It’s up to us, as constituents, to point our local, state and national governments, in the direction we want to go.
Is this a joke recial equality in the 1950’s. Ask the black woman who cleaned your house how equal she felt. Then there is the gettine on and off the back of the bus. What about blackploitation on television, need i say more!!!!!!!!!!!!MRM
Speaking as a retired history teacher , the curriculum is determined by the administration.
There are many worthy people that deserve study , but we only have limited time . This is just a reality that necessitates making tough choices .
First of all, “antifa” stands for anti-fascist. I am a white woman, 67 years of age and I oppose a fascist government. Look it up and you will see exactly what anti-fascist means. Black lives matter is a legitimate cause because very simply, black lives really do matter. If white people feel they are treated unfairly, stopped more often because of the color of their skin they too can launch a campaign of White Lives Matter. The only reason they haven’t is that data proves white people are treated better than blacks, particularly in traffic stops and crime and punishment. Black people serve in our military along side of white people, they work and contribute to our society, they want a government of democracy and freedom like all Americans do, they are not anti-government. They don’t want to be singled out because they are black. If they are to be singled out it should be because of something they actually did wrong and the same applies to white people. This ugly black – white thing going on right now is being pushed on us by white supremacists’ and Neo-Nazi’s. They don’t even hide their prejudices very well. So don’t blame BLM or Antifa for what they haven’t done. I remember the fires but who actually set them? You don’t know do you? Those people need to be punished not all members of BLM.
I am an older (79) white woman. Don’t tell me everyone was happier watching a little black girl getting screamed at and spit upon because her skin was black and she had the audacity to think she could go to school with white children. You live in your own little dream world. Or you drink the coolade given by the conspiracy theorists?
I too love this country. BUT I want this country to be fair and equal as the bill of rights promises.
Oh yes, you obviously do not know what ANTIFA means? Here’s a clue – it means anti facist!
I guess that means you would rather live under a facist government!